Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 174

Double-sized bed and wardrobe.

And a computer desk in Lee Han-soo’s room.

[Long Live Korean Independence] – 0 members online.

I turned on the computer and entered the chat room.

Wasn’t he the guy who made a fuss last time, acting like I was dead because I was a few minutes late?

‘And above all, we can only be together for an hour.’

Since there’s a pretty big incident this time, I plan to get as much information as possible from Lee Baek-ho.

‘I’m here first today.’

A vast room with antique furniture.

Before I could even sit on the sofa, Lee Baek-ho logged in right after me.

So far, there were no problems.

“Hyung!”

But, what’s this again?

His expression was clearly very urgent.

“I’m in the middle of a battle right now? So, I have to log out right away.”

“What?”

“I don’t have time to explain in detail.”

“No—”

“You heard about the subjugation, right? Never participate in it, even later. I came to tell you that.”

“What does that mean—”

“See you next month!”

That was the entirety of our conversation.

Lee Baek-ho disappeared in a flash, not even a few seconds after we faced each other.

“……What was that?”

I’m roughly in a daze.

However, if I calmly analyze the situation…

‘……He said he’s in the middle of a battle?’

One hour in the community is one second in reality.

But he’s logging out this urgently?

That means he’s fighting a very strong enemy.

Even if I stay here for about a minute, only about 0.02 seconds will have passed outside.

Proof that it’s an enemy that can’t even afford to waste that time.

‘What the heck is he fighting?’

I don’t know.

The only thing that’s certain is that he’s closely related to the Noark subjugation.

‘This bastard, was he in the underground city after all?’

In the dead of night.

And not even in a labyrinth, but fighting an enemy, the only possibility that comes to mind is the Noark subjugation.

The subjugation force set out just yesterday.

The king’s army, the explorer’s union, and even the holy knights sent by the temple. The sight of them entering the sewers in a line was quite a spectacle.

‘The last thing he said… does that mean he thinks the subjugation will fail?’

Never participate, even later.

Interpreting this, it means that the first subjugation will fail, and a second subjugation force will be formed.

‘Ah, this is so frustrating…….’

There’s nothing to be gained by staying here, so I went back to my room. It was still 3 hours before the Round Table Watcher opened.

With nothing to do, I started browsing the web.

First, I checked the trading post, and then I went around the chat rooms without entry restrictions.

They were all the same.

Everyone was only talking about the Noark subjugation.

‘……It’s already a mess down there.’

A considerable number of players participated in the subjugation.

And according to what they’re saying…

“I’m in the rear, so I don’t know much, but the atmosphere is really ominous. I keep hearing explosions in the front, but the commanders are tight-lipped and don’t explain anything…….”

“Why are there so few participants today? Did they all die?”

It seems that a fierce battle is unfolding underground even at this moment.

I honestly can’t imagine how fierce it is.

It’s even more so when I look at this post on the free board.

[I’m about to die, ask me anything.]

-I got stabbed in the neck, but when I opened my eyes, I was here.

-I’ll be alive for 12 seconds, right?

-Damn it.

[EdwardBless77: I hope it’s not an eternal dream. I pray that the place you open your eyes is your home.]

[└Writer: I really hope so.]

[godFLEXyou: You’ve worked hard. Rest now.]

[└Writer: Thanks for the comfort.]

[stevencastle: You must have been in the front lines. I heard it’s hell there right now. Did you meet Orculius?]

[└Writer: I don’t know. I heard someone shouting that someone came, but I don’t remember. Maybe they saw it wrong. I couldn’t even see 1m ahead because of the black mages.]

[teckmonkey: What do you want to do the most?]

[└Writer: Respawn.]

[└teckmonkey: Oh, um… I’ll stop talking.]

[tunaboot: Where are you from?]

[└Writer: I don’t know what you mean. If it’s Earth, then Canada. If it’s here, then the Aribeten Clan, I was a high-ranking member.]

[└tunaboot: I was obviously talking about your hometown. But a high-ranking member of the Aribeten Clan, you were a big shot.]

[└1spring: What’s the point, you’re going to die now. Goodbye]

[└ionboii: Wow, seeing you come out like this here, I don’t think you’re just trying to get attention? I sincerely wish you the best. You’ve worked hard. And please ignore the nonsense above.]

There were dozens of comments below that.

Even as the number of comments increased in real-time, the writer answered each one.

As if possessed, I read them from top to bottom and left a comment.

[Elfnunna: Why are you giving up already? You shouldn’t be doing this, you should log out right now and try to live.]

If you don’t give up, there’s a possibility.

It might be infinitely close to 0, but it’s not 0.

I’m the proof of that.

However, after posting it, it felt too rude, so I added an explanation.

[└Elfnunna: I’ve also been stabbed in the neck before. I’ve also been in a countdown-like state in the game. But my body still moved. I ended up killing the enemy and barely survived by drinking a potion. So, why don’t you try it too?]

My experiences in the Land of the Dead and the Crimson Fortress.

I hoped that this would give hope to someone I didn’t know the name or face of.

But…….

[└Writer: I know what you mean. But I’m an archer. I can’t use the method you mentioned.]

The answer that came back was complete resignation.

[└Elfnunna: But you can still try, right?]

I left a comment as if possessed.

And a reply came quickly.

[└Writer: Sorry, if I’m going to die anyway, I want to die as myself. Not as this damned body, but as the me that my parents gave birth to.]

As soon as I saw it, my mind went blank.

I took my hands off the keyboard.

What could I possibly say here?

That it’s not a real body anyway?

That it’s just the identity you think you have that’s manifested?

Well, no one can criticize the writer’s choice.

And they shouldn’t.

“…….”

Without realizing it, I looked at the wardrobe.

To be precise, I looked at the mirror next to it.

I saw Lee Han-soo.

Tadatadat-

I started typing on the keyboard again.

And I wrote and deleted countless words of comfort, like hoping he would rest in peace or wake up in his original world.

But I couldn’t easily press the enter key.

Tadatadat-

Even while I was hitting the keyboard for a long time, unable to do anything, the players’ comments kept coming.

The writer answered each one.

[branbran_helmet: This is a piece of shit, garbage game.]

[└Writer: I know, this piece of shit, garbage game!]

That was the last comment, and no more comments were posted.

I pressed refresh.

The writer’s nickname, which was at the top, was now blurred.

“…….”

It meant he had died.

***

I don’t know why.

I don’t know his face, and I’ve never talked to him in person.

But my heart keeps beating wildly.

Thump-thump.

The deaths I’ve seen countless times since I opened my eyes in this world.

The weight of that death feels heavy today.

What could be the reason for this?

Drrr-

As if to find an answer, I scrolled up.

And I read it all again from the top.

Thanks to many people asking about his real self, I was able to get a glimpse of a person’s life.

Drrr-

He was from Canada.

He was born into a farming family, and his real name was Mac Davis.

His first kiss was at 17.

The other person was his girlfriend’s best friend?

I think he’s a crazy guy, but he didn’t live a life that deserved to die.

Drrr-

His dream was to be a veterinarian.

The reason was that he had to watch his dog choke to death after vomiting when he was young.

But he failed because he wasn’t good at studying.

In the end, he helped with his parents’ farm work and occasionally enjoyed games.

Drrr-

Yes, he was an ordinary person.

Moderately kind, and sometimes a bit off, remembered as a bad person by someone…….

Such an ordinary person, no matter how you look at it.

Drrr.

I stopped scrolling at one point.

When I checked again, there was a new comment on the comment I had left.

[└Writer: The words you left keep coming back to me. I feel like you’re a strong person. I hope you can clear this game and go back. Of course, it’s your choice.]

When I was repeating the act of writing and deleting, unable to write even a few words of comfort, the words of encouragement he left for me.

“…….”

The word ‘choice’ alone shows how considerate he was.

Tadatadat-

I typed on the keyboard and wrote a new comment.

Even though he can’t see it anymore…….

[└Elfnunna: If I ever go back, I’ll definitely write a letter to the address you mentioned above.]

[└Elfnunna: You’ve worked hard.]

I left a meaningless comment and left the post.

And I lay on the bed for a while, blankly thinking about various things.

How much time had passed since then?

[03:07]

Only 3 minutes were left until the Round Table Watcher’s entry deadline.

But what is this again?

Squeak-

The Round Table room I rushed into was empty.

***

No crescent moon, no goblin, no fox, no deer horns.

And no clown.

The Round Table room is only occupied by me.

‘……Could they all have participated in the subjugation?’

Again, there’s nothing else that comes to mind.

Three hours in the community.

That’s only 3 seconds outside.

What other reason could there be for not being able to come here because of those 3 seconds?

‘I didn’t expect to be stood up here too…….’

Being stood up in a row after Lee Baek-ho.

Before I could even feel the emptiness, my vision flashed, and when I came to my senses, I was back in my original room.

[Minimum number of participants not met.]

[This session of the gathering will be terminated.]

The message that appeared on the monitor.

Yes, this is what happens when the entry deadline passes with no one there.

The core of the community activity has been completely removed.

‘Well, let’s keep looking around before leaving.’

In the end, I had no choice but to browse the web and check minor news.

Time passed like that, and it was the end time.

「The character moves to Lapdonia.」

Biorn’s familiar room and Biorn’s body.

But it feels a little unfamiliar today.

No, is it just because I’m tired?

‘Let’s just go to sleep.’

I cleared my head and lay down on the bed.

Creak.

The bed sank in with a groan, as always.

And so, another day ended.

And three days later.

“Biorn! Hey, come out! The subjugation force that went underground has returned!”

The army that went to Noark has returned.

Only about a third of them survived.

“…….”

“…….”

The army passed by silently with slumped shoulders.

That alone made the result obvious.

‘It really failed.’

Things have become complicated.